This invention relates generally to an advertising page which is bound within a publication comprised of a plurality of pages bound together along a binding side. The advertising page may enclose a product sample or include a detachable coupon or information card.
Manufacturers commonly advertise their products in magazines and other publications. Most of such advertisements are printed on pages which are bound within the publication. Sometimes such advertisements, especially those for fragrances, cosmetics and personal care or medical products, include small samples of the products that are enclosed or encapsulated between panels or flaps of paper that are attached to the advertising page. It is common for such samples to be enclosed by a panel of the advertising page that is folded over the sample material on the side of the page opposite the binding. These samples may be provided as pure product in powder, liquid, gel or other form, or as a product which is microencapsulated and contained in a matrix material containing a releasable adhesive. When provided in pure product form, the covering panel is usually attached to the page around the area occupied by the sample, using a releasable adhesive, so that the panel may be lifted or opened to expose the sample. When provided in the form of a product which is microencapsulated, the adhesive in the matrix material typically serves to attach the microencapsulated of the sample to each other and to the opposing layers of the folded panel, so that when the panel is lifted or opened, the microcapsules are ruptured, thereby releasing or exposing the sample.
Advertising pages which include a sample material that is enclosed by a folded panel of the page or which include a folded panel comprising or enclosing a coupon or information card are usually made from a sheet or piece of paper that is wider than the other pages of the publication. In the case of an advertising page enclosing a sample of a fragrance or other product, the sample is usually placed near the outside edge of the page (opposite the side to be bound within the publication), and a portion or panel of the page is folded over the sample so as to create a finished advertising page that is narrower than the remaining pages of the publication. In the case of an advertising page which includes a folded panel comprising or enclosing a coupon or information card, the panel is also folded so as to create a finished page that is narrower than the remaining pages of the publication. Advertising pages which include folded panels are usually prepared in this way because of the way that the publications are bound. A magazine or other publication is typically assembled from untrimmed pages that extend beyond the length and width of the finished size. These pages are bound along one side, and the excess on the top, bottom and side of the pages opposite the binding side is then cut off to finish the publication. If the advertiser""s sample or other folded panel was placed so that the finished edge of the advertising page was aligned with all the other pages in the publication, the sample enclosure could be breached or the fold of the panel cut off during the trimming operation. If the sample is microencapsulated, breach of the sample enclosure will most likely result in loss of at least a portion of the sample, and will leave the panel attached to the advertising page only by the releasable adhesive. Such adhesively attached sample-enclosing panel could be disengaged prior to delivery of the publication to its purchaser, thereby releasing or exposing the sample prematurely. Furthermore, cutting the fold of any conventional folded panel other than an adhesively-attached sample-enclosing panel during binding will prematurely detach the panel from the page.
One disadvantage of the conventional method for providing an advertising page that is suitable for containing a sample material (or which includes another folded panel) is the limitation that because of the method of construction, only one folded panel may be provided for a page, although the single folded panel may be cut or perforated into a plurality of panels having a common fold line. Another disadvantage of the conventional method for providing an advertising page having a folded panel is a reduction in the portion of the consumer""s field of vision occupied by the advertisement when the consumer looks at the page, due to the fact that the reduced-size advertising insert is bordered on the outside edge (the edge opposite the binding side) by the magazine text or other advertisement that appears on a subsequent page. In order to overcome this disadvantage, U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,908 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,889, both of Barnett et al., describe an advertising page for a magazine which includes a fragrance-releasing portion that is offset from the outside edge of the page so that the page that may be trimmed along its outside edge to match the size of all of the other pages of the publication. Because of the location of the fragrance-releasing portion, it will not be breached or damaged when the pages of the magazine are trimmed in the publication process; however the panel enclosing the fragrance sample is provided separately from or cut from the remainder of the advertising page, leaving it attached to the advertising page only by an adhesive. In recognition of this disadvantage, at least one embodiment of the Barnett invention contemplates a use of two types of adhesives, including a releasable adhesive to permit removal of a portion of a panel covering a sample, and a permanent adhesive to provide for permanent attachment of a portion of the panel to the reminder of the advertising page.
It would be desirable if an advertising page could be provided with a folded panel for containing a sample, or for containing or comprising a coupon or other insert, which page could be trimmed along the side opposite its binding side without cutting or sacrificing the fold of the panel. It would also be desirable if such an advertising page could be provided which could be formed from a sheet that is narrower than that employed to create a conventional advertising page which includes a panel that is folded so that the finished page is narrower than the other pages of the publication. It would also be desirable if such an advertising page could be provided which includes two folded panels that do not require a separate finishing operation such as cutting or perforating a folded panel into a plurality of panels.
Among the advantages of the invention is that it provides an advertising page with a folded panel for containing a sample, or for containing or comprising a coupon or other insert, which page can be trimmed along the side opposite its binding side without cutting or sacrificing the fold of the panel. Another advantage of the invention is that such an advertising page may be provided which can be formed from a sheet that is narrower than that employed to create a conventional advertising page. Still another advantage of the invention is the provision of an advertising page which may include two folded panels that do not require a separate finishing operation such as cutting or perforating a previously folded panel into a plurality of panels. Yet another advantage of the invention is the provision of a versatile advertising page that provides a smaller folded panel that requires less paper to produce than a conventional advertising page having a folded panel. Another advantage of the invention is the provision of an advertising page having a folded panel that requires less ink to print than the folded panel of a conventional advertising page.
Additional advantages of this invention will become apparent from an examination of the drawings and the ensuing description.
As used herein, the term advertising page refers to a page, leaf or insert which is bound within a publication comprised of a plurality of pages bound together along a binding side. The advertising page is used to advertise a product or service, and may enclose a product sample or include a detachable coupon or information card.
As used herein, the term binding side of a publication refers to the side of the publication which is bound or intended to be bound together or to a common binding material by using staples, glue or other binding means. The binding side of a page of a publication is the side of the page which is bound or intended to be bound with the binding side of the other pages of the publication.
As used herein, the term publication refers to a book, magazine or other periodical, or any collection of pages that are bound or attached together, or intended to be bound or attached together, or to a common binding material along a binding side. A publication may or may not include a cover.
As used herein, the term binding material refers to a cover or a component of the cover of a publication to which the pages may be bound.
As used herein, the terms sample and sample material refer to a quantity of a fragrance, cosmetic, personal care product, medical treatment or other product that may be enclosed or encapsulated in or on an advertising page of a publication.
The invention comprises an advertising page which is bound within a publication comprised of a plurality of pages bound together along a binding side, which advertising page comprises a page portion and an extension portion. The page portion has a binding side and a plurality of unbound sides. The extension portion is contiguous with a part of an unbound side of the page portion that is adjacent to the binding side, and has an inner side that is spaced from the binding side of the page portion. At least a part of the extension portion is folded over to form a folded part. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a sample material is contained within the folded part. The invention also includes a method for making an advertising page that may be bound within a publication.
In order to facilitate an understanding of the invention, the preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings, and a detailed description thereof follows. It is not intended, however, that the invention be limited to the particular embodiments described or to use in connection with the apparatus illustrated herein. Various modifications and alternative embodiments such as would ordinarily occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates are also contemplated and included within the scope of the invention described and claimed herein.